The challenge to improve student achievement in "special needs"
districts within the state of New Jersey is captured in the states
legislative history. In May 1998, in Abbott v. Burke 153 N.J. 480,
the New Jersey Supreme Court adopted a proposal for Whole School Reform
(WSR) as a policy to ensure that public school children, including students
with disabilities and limited English proficient (LEP) students, receive
a "thorough and efficient" system of education as defined by
the New Jersey Department of Education (NJ DOE) 1996 Core Curriculum Content
Standards (CCCS). This 1998 legislative mandate required the implementation
of WSR in the states 30 Abbott school districts.

In April 2001 (in press), A Study of Whole School Reform Implementation
in New Jersey Abbott Districts was completed by the Region III Comprehensive
Center (R3CC) at The George Washington University (GW). Commissioned by
the NJ DOE, this evaluation measures stakeholder perceptions of the implementation
progress of WSR in 18 of the 30 districts designated as Abbott districts
in the state of New Jersey during the 2000 school year.

The R3CC/GW review of the research on school accountability for improved
student achievement identified several core elements of organizational
capacity necessary to advance systemic education reform, among these:
teacher knowledge and skills; effective leadership; technical
and financial resources; and organizational autonomy. Based
on their review of literature, study authors posit that survey data are
optimally understood when viewed through the lens of organizational
capacity.

Three surveys, each using Likert scales, were developed for the study
and administered to school, district and state educators and administrators.
Telephone protocols were developed and interviews conducted to acquire
an expanded perspective on WSR implementation from NJ DOE staff involved
in managing the states "roll out" process. Broadly stated,
the purpose of the R3CC/GW study was to inform the NJ DOE about:

The progress of implementation of WSR model
programs and strategies in school cohorts 1, 2 and 2 mid-year, and

The technical assistance needs of district-
and school-level stakeholders.

The study centered on four overarching questions focused on WSR implementation:

What perceptions do members of School Management Teams (SMTs) have
of the progress of WSR implementation?

What perceptions do district staff members have of the progress
of WSR implementation?

How do SMTs assess the quality of the support provided by districts?

How do SMTs and district administrators assess the quality of support
supplied by the state?

Highlights of findings are summarized below:

School Management Teams (SMTs)

Overall, SMTs self-assessment demonstrated members perceptions
that "significant progress" had been made in the primary components
of WSR implementation (i.e., planning, governance, school-based budgeting,
personnel, academic program, training and professional development,
integration and alignment of resources and function, school environment,
student and family services, and family involvement).

"Significant progress" was not reported in the following
areas:

A sufficient number of faculty/staff
to implement fully and support the WSR program;

Adoption of an academic program that
meets the needs of LEP students;

Training/professional development in
the following areas: needs identification of programs and services;
alignment of curriculum and instruction to state standards; personnel
selection appropriate to the school; and use of zero-based budgeting
processes;

A school-based team that would train
parents for volunteer roles (i.e., Student and Family Services); and

An ongoing effort to involve parents
as partners in school-based decision making (i.e., Family Involvement).

In evaluating the quality of support, SMTs rated district support highest
in the area of curriculum alignment and weakest in the area of providing
performance and demographic data to schools for purposes of planning
and decision-making.

District Staff (Central Office Administrators)

"Some progress" was reported in implementing the primary
components of WSR.

"Less progress" was reported in the following areas:

Provision of training and technical support
to SMTs;

Assistance with budgeting issues;

Professional development of school staff;
and

Provision of data to schools for purposes
of planning and decision-making.

SMT/District Administrator Alignment

In post-implementation WSR areas, the state provided "some extent"
of support to School Review and Improvement teams.

In examining data in the context afforded by the literature review,
study authors note the following changes in institutional structures
and individual roles that in combination are necessary to advance WSR:

A management perspective focused on monitoring
program compliance must change to a technical assistance perspective
focused on continuous improvement of individuals and institutions.

Organizations rich in data that are not
readily accessible must change to organizations able to help district
and school staff organize, analyze and manipulate data in order to
permit educators to make meaning about student learning.

Reviewed in tandem with the literature review, the data demonstrate that
reform requires technical assistance support if systemic change is to
occur. Increased training and technical support to both district and school
staff are needed for successful implementation of WSR. Specific areas
identified in the study for which technical assistance is required include:

Study authors argue that in order to advance WSR at the school level
and maximize efficiency, effectiveness and job performance, it is necessary
to build the institutional and individual capacity necessary to work effectively
as a collaborative enterprise.

In sum, major recommendations center on two primary ways in which the
NJ DOE may usefully support systemic education reform in Abbott school
districts: (1) provide ongoing technical assistance to district and school
level administrators and to community organizations that can support WSR,
and (2) conduct additional research on the implementation of WSR.